Foldable bed



Nov. 8, 1938. G. lsBELL Er AL 2,135,517

FOLDABLE BED Filed June 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 D W232i 1712911. 2j, Q

f2@ 15; 2 M4 45 f/ Patented Nov. 1938 FOLDABLE BED Geom nnen, Euhm, ma Eldon' J. c. noms, Huntington, Ind.; said Ilbell assigner to said Rogers Application June 21, 1937, Serial No. 149,518

3Claims.

The invention relates primarily to a childs bed which may be `folded into compact form for packing and shipping, for carrying in an automobile or trailer. or for storage.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improved construction which enables one person to quickly and easily fold the bed or unfold the same, without experiencing such difllcuities and confusion as heretofore encountered with other folding beds.

A further object is to provide a construction which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured and may, therefore, be profitably sold at a reasonable price.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by referencev to the accompanying drawings.

o Fig. 1 is a side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section.

Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic top plan views showing different steps in folding the bed.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic top 'plan view showing the bed completely folded.

Fig. 7 is aA detail sectional view on line 'I--l of Fig. 2.

For convenience of description, the entire head of the bed has been denoted at I0, the foot at II, one side at I2, the other side at I3, and the bottom or mattress support at Il. The shapes and designs of these various members may, of course, be varied within a wide range, and this is also true with regard to size and proportions.

'I'he side I2 is composed of an inwardly swingable half I2* hinged permanently to the head I0, a second inwardly swingable half I2b hinged permanently to the foot II, and hinges I5 permanently connecting said halves I 2"l and I2b with each other.

The side I3 is composed of a half I3 permanently hinged to the head I to fold inwardly, a second inwardly foldable half I3b permanently hinged to the foot II, and means I6, I1 separably connecting said halves I3* and I3 with each other.

The bottom Il is composed of one upwardly swingable half Ill hinged to the head-I0 and a .o secondl upwardly swingable half Ilb hinged to the foot I When the bed is to be folded, one of the bottom halves (Ila, Mb) may be upwardly folded and held with one hand while one of the separau bly connected side halves (Il, IIb) is folded inwardly against said bottom half with'the other hand, whereupon said bottom section will be held in its upright position by said inwardly folded side half (Fig. 4). Then. the other bottom section may be upwardly swung with one hand and 5 held by said hand while the other separably connected side half is swung inwardly against it, said other side half then holding said other bottom half in its upright position. Both hands are now free to handle the head I0' and foot Il for the 10 purpose of moving them toward each other after buckling the side I2 inwardly upon the hinges I 5 (Fig. 5), the halves I2 and I2b of said side I2 then moving into positions between the previouslyfolded halves I3* and I3"v and the entire 15 bed being thus in compact folded condition (Fig. 6). This folding, it will be observed, may be easily carried out by one person Without difficulty or confusion, particular attention being invited to the fact that when I4u is swung upwardly and 20 I3* swung inwardly against it, these parts will remain in their folded positions without being held, leaving both hands free to upwardly fold I 4b and inwardly fold I3b, which parts will also remain in folded position without being held, leaving both hands again free for use when inwardly buckling the side I2 and moving the head and foot I0, II toward each other.

The head Ill and foot II each preferably consist of two corner posts I 8 connected at their 30 upper and lower portions by cross members I9 and 20, and appropriate uprights 2l extending between said members I9 and 20.

Each side (i2 or I3) preferably includes an upper rail 22, a lower rail 23, and suitable uprights 24' extending between them. In alinement with these rails 22, 23, the posts I8 are provided with rigidly attached side rail stubs 24 and 25 respectively, to which the rails are hinged, the abutting ends of the rails and'stubs being 40 preferably beveled as shown at 26. In securing the stubs 24 and 25 to the posts I8, metal angle brackets 21 are employedfsaid brackets being secured by screws or the like to said posts and stubs 'and having horizontal arms 28 of hat form 45 lying against the upper and lower edges of said stubs. Elongated metal hinge strips 29 are secured to the upper and lower edges of the side rails 22, 23 and project beyond these rails in overlapping relation with the flat arms 28 of the 50 brackets 21, and rivets or the like 30 pass through the projecting ends of said strips 29, through said arms 28, and through the stubs 24, 25, thereby hingedly connecting the side halves I2'-, I2, I3* andl3b to the head I0 and foot II. The 8l 'is true of the corresponding pivots of the side Ihalves I2`and |21.

The bottom halves I Il andh are connected by appropriate hinges '3l with the lower cross members 20 of the head I0 and foot Il, and the inner end portions of the sidehalves I2, I2", I3* and I3, are provided with appropriate brackets 32 upon which the inner ends of said bottom halves,A I4a and I Ib rest when in normal position. 'I'hese bottom halves are lprovided with downwardly projecting stubs 33 receivable in openings 34 (Fig. 7 of the' brackets 32 and thus the sides I2 and I3 of the bed are so connected by the bottom I4 as to prevent lateral movements of said sides. Lateral springing of the upper portions of the sides I2 and I3 is prevented by a pair of connecting plates 35 and 36 and details associated therewith, as now described.

The plate 36 forms part of the means I6, I1 for separably connecting the side halves I3 and I3h with each other, said plate being pivoted at one of its ends to the top rail of the half ll3b, as shown at 31 and extending into overlapping relation with the top rail of the other half I3, This other half is provided with headed stubs 38 engageable with notches 39 in the lower edge of the plate 36, and the upper rail of the half I3b which carries the pivot 31, is also preferably provided with a headed stub l receivable in another notch 4I in the lower edge of the plate 36. the same manner as the plate 36 and coacts with stubs similar to the stubs 38 and 40. It will thus be seen that the upper portions of the halves |21'- and I2h and the upper portions of the halves I3i and I3b' are effectively connected with each' other in such manner that the side I2 and the side I3 cannot spring laterally at their upper portions. Plate 36' must, of course, be swung free of the stubs 38 and 40 before the bed can be folded, and plate 35 must also be swung to released position.

The means I1 constituting part of the provision for separably connecting the halves I3'l and I3b, preferably consists of an ordinary hook and eye, and we prefer that the lower rails; 23 of said halves I 3 and I3b be separably tongued and grooved as at I2 to coact with said hook and eye in establishing a proper connection between the lower portions of the halves I3 and |31. The hook must, of course, be disengaged from the eye before the bed can be folded.

When the entire structure is folded into the compact form shown in Fig. 6, the brackets 32 of the side halves I3 and I 3b underlie the lower cross members20 of the head and foot I0, II, and the corresponding brackets of the side halves I2a and I2b then underlie said side halves I3Il and l3b, and said brackets do not therefore interfere with folding of the structure into the most compact form.

Excellent results have been obtained from the detalls shown and described and they are therefore preferably followed. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may 'I'he plate 35 is constructed and mounted in y of course be made, the present disclosure being illustrative rather than limiting.

We claim:

l. A foldable bed comprising a head; afoot; one side composedvof an inwardly-foldable half fhinged to said head, a second inwardly-foldable half hinged to said foot, and means permanently hinging said halves together; a second side composed of an inwardly-foldable half hinged to said head, a second inwardly-foldable half hinged to said foot, and releasable means separably connecting these halves with each other; the halves of each side being of a length to overlap the 'halves of the other side when all of said halves tom halves when disconnected, and the hinge lines of said permanently connected side halves being still more distantly spaced from said head and foot to allow said permanently connected halves to be compactly folded against the inwardly folded separated halves; whereby after disconnection of said separably connected side halves, one of said bottom halves may be upwardly folded and held with one hand until the adjacent one of the disconnected side halves is folded inwardly against it with the other hand, 7'

the other bottom half may then be likewise upwardly folded and held with one hand until the other of thev disconnected side halves is folded inwardly against it with the other hand, and both .hands are then free formoving the head and foot toward each other after inwardly buckling the permanently connected side halves, these halves then moving to positions between the folded disconnected side halves.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1; the inner end portions of all of said side halves being provided at their lower edges with brackets un- .derlying said bottom halves, the brackets of the disconnected side halves being movable under portions of said head and foot when said disconnected side halves are folded, the brackets of the permanently connected side halves being movable under said folded disconnected halves.

' 3.A In a foldable bed, a head and a foot each having cornerv posts, upper and lower side rail stubs projecting from said corner posts, angle brackets secured to said corner posts and to said side rail stubs and having flat horizontal arms lying against the upper and lower edges of said side rail stubs, foldable sides having upper and lower side rails extending between the upper and lower side rail stubs of said headand foot, dat hinge strips secured upon the upper and lower edges of said side rails and projecting therefrom into overlapped relation with said at horizontal bracket arms, and pivots connecting the projecting ends of said hinge strips with said bracket arms.

GEORGE ISBELL.

ELDON J. C. ROGERS. 

